ProRail creates more space for international trains

Railway manager ProRail will free up more space on the track for international trains next year. This involves, among other things, the international train that will run from the Belgian Ostend via the Netherlands to Berlin and eventually Prague from April. It also involves a second night train operated by NS International and foreign carriers.

At the moment, there is already a night train to and from Vienna in Austria. It is not yet entirely clear what the destination of the second night train will be. "Whether the second night train will run to Zurich, Switzerland next year is still a subject of discussion between NS and partners," ProRail reported.

In addition to the new services, there are also daily trains to Brussels, London and Berlin. In the winter months there is also the Alpen Express that runs from Den Haag HS via various stations in the Netherlands to Zell am See in the Austrian Alps.

ProRail allocates the available space on the track every year. The new timetable comes into effect in December each year. "It is a big puzzle every year to divide the available space on 7,000 kilometers of track and at more than four hundred stations," according to the railway manager. This year, 35 passenger and freight carriers submitted their wishes for next year, including the new carrier European Sleeper, which will operate the train from Ostend, among other things.

According to ProRail, European rail will play an important role in achieving the EU climate goals, since traveling by train is generally cleaner than traveling by car or plane. If it is up to the European Commission, passenger transport by high-speed train and rail freight transport will double by 2030.